textexpander - the basics
DESCRIPTION
TextExpander is one of the best time-saving tools ever. I love it and could not work without it. This slide show explores the basics.TRANSCRIPT
TEXTEXPANDERA fabulous text expansion app
Miranda Castro: [email protected]
What is TextExpander?
Expandable abbreviations galore! Use short abbreviations to insert
“snippets” of any length into any field of any application
Brilliantly helpful app Saves a ton of time Makes mundane/routine typing tasks fun
& fast Add personal touches with the greatest of
ease I love it – couldn’t work without it
What are Snippets?
Words or phrases Simple or formatted text Fully formatted documents of any length Graphics including animated gifs Coded snippets (dates and times) Auto-corrections (common misspellings) Snippets within snippets, and way way
more
Web link
TEXTEXPANDER BY SMILE SOFTWARE
http://smilesoftware.com/TextExpander/index.html
I have been using it since March of 2010!
Persuasive Statistics!
My stats for the past 4 years – see how much time I have saved!
Here’s How It Looks
Here’s a Snippet
Getting Set Up
It can take a bit of time to get it set up and working like you want it to.
You will want to revisit the preferences from time to time to tweak it.
You need to go into Systems Preferences at the outset to give TextExpander access to your whole computer so it can do its work in any program you are working in!
Mavericks
> System Preferences> Security & Privacy> Unlock to change> Click Privacy tab> Click Accessibility
(left)> Scroll to
TextExpander (right) and check
> Restart TextExpander
Snow Leopard
> System Preferences
> Universal Access> Enable access for
assistive devices> Restart
TextExpander
TextExpander Preferences
Expansion Options Appearance Sync Hotkeys Update Backup
Go through each section customizing it to suit you and the way you work.
Here are mine FYI …
HotKeys
I resisted Hotkeys until I watched Don McAllister’s (free) ScreenCast. I learned to save yet more time by configuring these to pop up on command
Let’s do it!
Create a New Snippet Click the New Snippet icon (above) Cmd + N Click the + (bottom left)
Select Plain Text or Formatted Text, Pictures
That’s all there is to it!
The basics really are that simple You need to give some thought to
the Label – it should be consistent with other similar labels in the same group
You need to give a lot of thought to the abbreviation
Abbreviations
Logical (at least to your way of thinking) Easy to remember Easy to type and quick to type Easy to expand on (to create other similar
snippets in a group) Not something you type ordinarily – you’ll
soon find out if you made a mistake and used an abbreviation you use in a different situation
Abbreviations
Make the letters easy to find on the keyboard and easier still to remember
Use double letters at the outset Use one or two spaces at the end Create a naming convention: sg for
signatures, dd for date, ddtt for date and time, tt for time, em for emails, ref and initials for a referral
Forget about numbers and caps unless you are a killer typist
Remembering Snippets
It is easy to forget the snippets you have created if you don’t use them often
Make sure Suggest Abbreviations is checked for each group
Set and use the Hotkey for Suggest Matching Abbreviations
This is where your naming convention comes in handy
Formatted Snippets
Advanced Snippets: Macros
For Days/Dates/Times and all kinds of other neat things as well
You don’t have to be a programming genius
About Date, Time and Math Macros About Macros and More David Sparks Date & Time Snippets
Delimiters
Delimiters are Space, Tab, Return, Esc as well as over 30 other characters such as period, comma, slash, backslash, brackets, and tilde.
Go to Preferences > Expansion and click "Set Delimiters" to see all available delimiters.
Use them to determine when a snippet gets expanded.
Automatic Backups
Set up in Preferences > Backup icon Select automatic backup frequency
Select another folder by clicking on the Library icon
Manual Backup
Know which folder your Backups go to
File > Click Backup TextExpander Data
NOTE: upgrades use the backup file to restore data
Menu Bar Icon
Use the TextExpander icon to search for snippets, to create a new one or to open or disable the program
Competition
LifeHacker Articlecomparing text expansion apps
aText ($5) LifeHacker’s fave (price/value/function)
TypeIt4Me ($5) Doesn't offer as many options as aText
Typinator (24.99€) Similar features but doesn't work as well as
TextExpander TextExpander ($35)
Offers more features than aText and a mobile app as well
Details
OS: Snow Leopard or 10.6
Single License: $34.95 Family Pack: $44.95 (5 computers/1
house)
90-day money back guarantee
“TextExpander is completely and utterly indispensable - I probably use it a couple of times every working hour”
Don McAllister
Extras
TextExpander on Twitter Don McAllisters free ScreenCast Online
from March 2010 of TextExpander 3 is brilliant. There aren’t a lot of changes between versions 3 and 4.
Take Control of TextExpander eBook